Website helps steer residents to activities, exercise, better health

A website called localstrides.com aims to help Craven County residents learn about health and exercise.

Photo illustration

By Sue Book, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 05:23 PM.

Obesity, particularly childhood obesity, is now considered the most critical correctable health problem here, so Craven County’s health and recreation departments are working to combat it by participating in a website called localstrides.com.

“Childhood obesity is definitely a big problem for us,” said Scott Harrelson, Craven County health director. “We don’t have exact numbers, but statewide in North Carolina, one in three children is obese.

“The school system used to keep body mass index records but no longer; now folks are offended. We are in talks with the schools about having a pilot program addressing childhood obesity at one of the middle schools.”

In the meantime, however, the still-evolving, but already helpful localstrides.com website directs parents and children to activities and venues that “promote healthy living through active living, healthy eating, and tobacco-free lifestyles,” said Amber Hardison.

Hardison gathered and contributed Craven County information to the site while working on an internship in health promotion, and Harrelson and Billy Wilkes of Craven County Recreation and Parks say she deserves the credit for Craven County’s success in the nine-county Community Transformation Grant (CTG) project.

Hardison updates Craven’s information on the site regularly “on youth and adult sports in county. That way people are can go to localstrides.com and find a Craven County map that links to any kind of physical activity — youth sports, basketball, cheerleading and gymnastics and so on.”

Obesity, particularly childhood obesity, is now considered the most critical correctable health problem here, so Craven County’s health and recreation departments are working to combat it by participating in a website called localstrides.com.

“Childhood obesity is definitely a big problem for us,” said Scott Harrelson, Craven County health director. “We don’t have exact numbers, but statewide in North Carolina, one in three children is obese.

“The school system used to keep body mass index records but no longer; now folks are offended. We are in talks with the schools about having a pilot program addressing childhood obesity at one of the middle schools.”

In the meantime, however, the still-evolving, but already helpful localstrides.com website directs parents and children to activities and venues that “promote healthy living through active living, healthy eating, and tobacco-free lifestyles,” said Amber Hardison.

Hardison gathered and contributed Craven County information to the site while working on an internship in health promotion, and Harrelson and Billy Wilkes of Craven County Recreation and Parks say she deserves the credit for Craven County’s success in the nine-county Community Transformation Grant (CTG) project.

Hardison updates Craven’s information on the site regularly “on youth and adult sports in county. That way people are can go to localstrides.com and find a Craven County map that links to any kind of physical activity — youth sports, basketball, cheerleading and gymnastics and so on.”

Harrelson said people with children, particularly newcomers, can find “the sports and recreation programs all in one place. They know what’s coming up and where they can find walking trails, parks and active living events.”

It also includes events like Senior Games, Special Olympics, various marathons or runs and events like Relay for Life, which will be listed on the site for April.

Wilkes said the partnership with the health department has helped encourage and find funding for several projects that focus on ways to get youth and adults involved and active.

There are now four new sand volleyball courts at Creekside Park that “open the possibility of league play and tournaments” including one scheduled for spring break this year.

“Another is a disc golf course at Creekside, an 18-hole course that basically anybody, any age, can play,” Wilkes said. “Disc golf encourages 18 holes of walking and other significant exercise with throwing disc.”

He said the course was funded by a Harold Bate Foundation grant. It is located at the back of Creekside Park and will be open by Feb. 10, offering free fun for adult and youth players anytime the park is open.

Another joint venture for fitness is a new outdoor series of fitness equipment stations for simple exercises that will target youth 13 and older and adults, Wilkes said.

Also to be set up at Creekside, it will make places for youth and parents alike places to do sit ups, pushups, pull ups and other exercises rec employees notices people doing on the playground equipment. Wilkes said.

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or sue.book@newbernsj.com. Follow her on Twitter@SueJBook.